Danish news report in Illustreret Tidende on Alexei's birth, dated August 21, 1904

Source:

Illustreret Tidende, issue of August 21, 1904

http://img.kb.dk/iti/45/pdf/iti_45_0825.pdf

This report was published in the Danish news magazine Illustreret Tidende on August 21, 1904. It used a photo taken after Anastasia's birth in 1901, as no photos had yet been taken of Alexei.

The article:

RUSLANDS TRONARVING

DEN 13. AUGUST om Formiddagen forkyndte 101 Kanonskud Petersborgerne, at Kejserfamiljens og Ruslands Haab denne Gang ikke var blevet skuffet. Kejserinden var nedkommet med en Søn, der i Daaben fik Navnet Alexis.

Hele Rusland over vakte Budskabet Jubel. Efter at Kejserinden havde født fire Døttre, var Troen paa, at der denne Gang skulde skænkes Rusland en Tronarving, ikke overvældende stærk, og endnu en Datter vilde hos mangfoldige have nedbrudt Tilliden til, at der igen kunde oprinde lyse Tider for det Land, der i den seneste Tid har været saa stærkt hjemsøgt af Ulykker af forskjellig Art. Det berettes, at Czaren, da han erfarede det længe ventede Budskab, udbrød, at det betød mere end Meldingen om en stor Sejr. Udtrykket er vel lidt farvet af Faderens personlige og forstaaelige Følelser, men det rammer i det væsenlige det rigtige. Gang paa Gang er Rusland blevet skuffet og rokket i sin Tillid. Den revolutionære Bevægelse, som man en Tid lang troede død, viste sig endnu at have Livskraft nok til at give sig Udslag i blodige Attentater paa fremragende Statsmænd; Siipjagin, Bobrikoff, Plehve og mange flere maatte med deres Liv bøde for deres Politik. Og Krigen, i hvilken den vældige russiske Kolos mentes at have det letteste Overtag over det forholdsvis lille japanske Ørige, bød hidtil kun paa Skuffelser og Nederlag, for hvilke Oprejsningens Time endnu ikke kan skimtes. Der maatte komme et Lyspunkt, om ikke Modet helt skulde synke og ydre og indre Fjender hovere.

Lyspunktet er Tronarvingens Fødsel, der har blevet fejret med Glædesfester hele Landet over. Det var dog endelig et Tegn paa at Russernes Gud ikke helt havde forladt sit Folk. Nu maatte nye og gode Tider rinde op, ikke alene for Kejserfamiljen men for det hele Land, en ny Æra begynde!

Hvorvidt Haabet ikke vil blive beskæmmet, og om Begivenheden vil have den forønskede Indvirkning paa andre vigtige Begivenheder, specielt dem i Østasien, faar foreløbig staa hen. Endnu har Kejserprinsen kun levet en Uge, og det kan vel ikke forlanges, at der i Løbet af saa kort Tid skal ske Mirakler; de allersidste Begivenheder paa Krigskuepladsen synes jo i hvert ikke at tyde paa, at deres Tid endnu er inde.

Men det kan jo komme, og ingen rettroende Russer tvivler derom.

English translation (my own):

RUSSIA'S HEIR TO THE THRONE

On August 13 at noon, 101 gunshots told the citizens of St. Petersburg that the hopes of the imperial family and Russia had not been disappointed this time. The Empress had descended with a son who, at his baptism, was named Alexis.

All over Russia, the message aroused cheer. After the Empress gave birth to four daughters, the belief that this time Russia was to be granted an heir to the throne was not overwhelmingly strong, and yet another daughter would have broken the confidence of many that bright times could again arise for the country that in recent times has been so much haunted by misfortunes of various kinds. It is said that when he received the long-awaited message, the Tsar exclaimed that it meant more than the announcement of a great victory. The expression is a little coloured by the father's personal and understandable feelings, but it essentially strikes the right thing. Time and time again, Russia has been disappointed and rocked in its confidence. The revolutionary movement, believed to have been dead for a long time, proved yet to have vitality enough to give rise to bloody assaults on outstanding statesmen; Sipyagin, Bobrikov, Plehve and many more had to pay for their politics with their lives. And the war, in which the mighty Russian colossus was supposed to have the easiest takeover over the relatively small Japanese island nation, so far only offered disappointments and defeats, for which the hour of the uprising cannot yet be glimpsed. There had to be a bright spot if courage were not to sink completely and foreign and domestic enemies were celebrating.

The bright spot is the birth of the heir to the throne, which has been celebrated with celebrations all over the country. However, it was finally a sign that the Russian God had not completely abandoned his people. Now new and good times had to come, not only for the imperial family, but for the whole country, a new era began!

Whether the hope will not be shattered and whether the event will have the desired impact on other important events, especially those in East Asia, will be tentative. Yet the imperial prince has only lived for a week, and miracles cannot be required in such a short time; after all, the very last events on the scene of the war seem not to indicate that their time is yet to come.

But it can come, and no faithful Russians doubt it.